1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of exercise devices.
2. Brief Description of the Background Art
During locomotion the human body, particularly the back, is subject to stresses it is not genetically equipped to handle well. Our ancestors walked on four feet and the muscle and connective tissue structure of the back evolved to optimize such locomotion. As a result, four footed animals are not prone to the back problems that plague humans. U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,789, issued Aug. 25, 1987 discloses an exercise method using a pair of arm braces to permit walking or running on all fours to simultaneously exercise the arms and legs without stressing the back. The disclosed arm braces are short crutch-like devices which, like other crutches known in the art are grasped by the user with the back of the hand facing outward, perpendicular to the direction of locomotion. However, this orientation does not simulate the stride of a four legged animal and limits the running speed that can be attained. Merely holding the device disclosed in the above cited patent in the perpendicular orientation does not solve the problem, in part, because of the relative weakness of the human wrist in the reflex direction and the sensitivity of the wrist, elbow and shoulder to the repeated shock of running on all fours.